Benefits of Tongue Scrapers

While advancing technology has given us electric toothbrushes, water flossing devices and a rainbow of flavors and materials for our regular dental floss, it’s unusual to think of any other new tools as “standard equipment” in at-home dental care. However, there is a dental tool you may not have heard of that can provide you with better oral health – the tongue scraper.

Tongue scrapers are usually small plastic devices with a curved plastic edge that a user runs across his or her tongue. There are several ways in which these devices can improve your dental care.

How Tongue Scrapers Improve Your Dental Care

They disrupt bacteria. Because the scrapers are pulled directly over your tongue, they break up any bacterial plaque that may reside there. This can help slow the development of plaque on your teeth and gums, which cause tooth decay and periodontal disease.

They remove bacteria. In addition to disrupting the bacteria, some of it is actually carried away when you scrape your tongue properly. This also aids dental care because the less bacteria there is in your mouth, the less chance there is of bacterial plaque causing trouble.

They can improve your mouth odor. Recent studies indicate that tongue scraper usage can help reduce the amount of volatile sulfur compounds accumulated on the tongue. This can provide a significant, although temporary, improvement in bad breath. They can also be used to reduce mouth odor if you have a coated tongue, which is a buildup of debris, bacteria and dead cells on your tongue.

“Most people have not grown up using tongue scrapers, but they can be useful instruments in your daily dental care routine,” says Dr. Carol Ford, a cosmetic dentist with a practice in the Biltmore area of central Phoenix.